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During one of my workshops, I was drinking a beer in the evening with Dragoș, one of the managers. It was clear for me that Dragos liked his job. He talked enthusiastic about the company and the way they worked together. His face changed when he started talking about his team. He was leading a team of 12 people, nice people and hard-working, he told me, only Liviu was a drama.

According to Socrates, democracy is all about freedom. Most jobs are available for everyone and everyone can do, or not do, or proclaim what he wants. Almost all people in types and philosophies can live together. They are ‘a dappled fur rug with all kinds of colors’. By the emphasis on freedom nobody needs to obey others. Nobody is forced to follow what they don’t want to follow. Principles are not important anymore. Off course a democracy doesn’t look like this. Socrates only describes the tendency when it is about freedom as ideal. He doesn’t see the democracy as a problem in pursuing the quality, but in her own logic that destroys democracy. It is a Trojan horse. Why??This article was published on the website www.cariereonline.ro, on the 31st January 2017.

Probably you know some people for who the day of rest never comes. There is always an email to read and answer, an ‘urgent’ phone call or even an extra trip to the office in the weekend. It could be a workaholic. I found a saying what describes a workaholic very nicely: The workaholic is on the ski-slopes dreaming about being back at work, the hard worker is in the office dreaming about being on the ski-slope. Just think also about yourself: workaholic or hard worker?

The whole world is, more than other times, interested in the presidency of Donald Trump. It is clear that Donald Trump’s campaign was unconventional and the hardest and roughest since decades. Despite the scandals, rumors and opportunistic actions he won the elections, against all predictions. But especially his behavior adds question marks to the way he will lead the United States in the coming four years.​This article also appeared in Forbes Romania magazine on 16 December 2016 (in Romanian language)

Conforming and copying of the behavior of others leads often to strange and irrational behavior. And we see that often in the world of business. Copying or automatically doing what the competitor also is doing. Every existing player in the business is afraid to take a risk and take a deep dive. Most businesses have examples of this type of management but nobody remembers why they are doing it that way. But hardly anybody dares to challenge it. And that is where the business opportunity lies. If you’re the first to do it differently, it might just bring you a lot of money.

For a long time, the board-room was reserved for men. The 3 women allowed to come in the board-room was the secretary of the big boss, the lady who was serving the coffee and the cleaning lady. Maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but I think you can imagine many of these situations. And when women stepped up the ladder and got a higher position, they said often that they “had to perform twice as well to be half as good’. For sure not an enviable position.

65% of the people are dissatisfied with their work and only 13% is engaged. This often due to the fact that we don't have good leaders on their positions. But how can we recognize good leaders ? This article is published on 22-09-2016 in Biz magazine

Dear Mr. General Manager, in your agenda, some time ago, you were involved in the process of merging two companies. From here, emerged new itineriaries, changes, new technologies and innovation. You set up a new board committee, with people specialized in technology, systems, market access issues. But you haven’t consulted any HR representative in order to guide this merging process. Because you didn’t believe, maybe, that it might be needed. And then came the internal crisis period: people less involved within the team, weak results, although you were convinced that the new system can be perfectly functional. But what about the people? Well, people didn’t adapt because they weren’t prepared, their merits weren’t recognized or simply they didn’t want to be involved in this process. And then you start wondering what can you do?

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